


Not So Traditional

by reeby10



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Benjamin Sisko Ships It, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Marriage of Convenience, POV Julian Bashir, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:54:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27240787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reeby10/pseuds/reeby10
Summary: “They have already declined to grant any exceptions.” Sisko’s face was solemn, but Julian thought he could see a hint of something that might be pity behind his eyes. “Starting in three days, no Cardassian may reside on Deep Space Nine unless they are a Federation citizen."
Relationships: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak
Comments: 27
Kudos: 76
Collections: Fic In A Box





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KannaOphelia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KannaOphelia/gifts).



Sisko was already standing when Julian stepped into his office, and Julian had the distinct impression that the captain had been waiting for him to arrive. It wasn’t surprising, really, considering the nature of his appearance today.

“Captain,” Julian managed to get out before Sisko raised a hand, silencing him. He stepped up to Sisko’s desk, hearing the door whoosh closed behind him.

“I know exactly why you’re here, doctor,” Sisko told him, confirming his suspicions. “And I want you to know that I had nothing to do with the decision. This was entirely decided between Starfleet Command and the Bajoran government, I was not asked to consult.”

“But surely you can do something about it, can’t you?” Julian asked. He was not reassured by the very faint frown that brought out on Sisko’s face. “At least get them to grant an exception?”

“They have already declined to grant any exceptions.” Sisko’s face was solemn, but Julian thought he could see a hint of something that might be pity behind his eyes. “Starting in three days, no Cardassian may reside on Deep Space Nine unless they are a Federation citizen. And as Cardassia is not a Federation planet, there are few avenues open for a Cardassian to become one.”

Julian narrowed his eyes, mind already whirring with possibilities. “What avenues _are_ open, sir?”

“Becoming a member of Starfleet, of course,” Sisko said, smiling a little wryly. “But I do not believe Garak would be a good fit for that.”

“No, he would not,” Julian replied with a snort. He couldn’t imagine Garak in Starfleet, not that they would likely accept him thanks to his history with the Obsidian Order. Or his general disposition, to be honest. “Is there anything else?”

Sisko paused, and Julian felt his stomach drop just a little. He had a feeling that whatever his captain was about to say was not something he wanted to say, much less something he thought Julian would want to hear. That was incredibly worrying to say the least, even worse than the pity in Sisko’s eyes just a few minutes ago.

“The other viable option is if a Cardassian were to marry a Federation citizen,” Sisko said, “and have their citizenship fast tracked so that it is in effect before the new ban in three days.”

What Sisko didn’t say, but which Julian could immediately assume based on his own knowledge of Federation guidelines, was that the Federation citizen Garak would need to marry would also need to be a member of Starfleet.

Non Federation spouses of Federation citizens were not given immediate citizenship, though the vast majority of them applied for it and were granted it. In the course of a few months, on average. Non Federation spouses of Starfleet members, however, were granted immediate citizenship upon marriage. It was necessary to ensure that spouses could not be separated while the member of Starfleet was on assignment in places where non Federation citizens would otherwise not be allowed to reside.

While finding a Federation citizen willing to marry Garak to let him stay on Deep Space Nine would have been difficult, having to find a member of Starfleet severely limited the already small pool. Julian knew there was really only one option. He felt a bead of sweat slide down the side of his face.

“Thank you for the information, sir,” he managed to get out, voice a little choked. He cleared his throat at Sisko’s raised eyebrow. “I’ll go make sure any Cardassians, er, know what options are available.”

Sisko nodded, seeming to relax a little as he finally sat, a clear dismissal. “Good luck, Doctor.”

Julian was sure he was going to need it.

⁂

Julian stood outside of Garak’s quarters for several moments before he got up the nerve to request entrance. His mind was buzzing after the conversation with Sisko, leaving him feeling a little ill.

It wasn’t that he was exactly against… what he would probably have to do to allow Garak to remain here. It was just that it was a lot. A step he’d never entirely expected for himself, especially considering the other party. He couldn’t even think the words to himself yet, despite knowing that he would have to say them out loud very soon.

Sighing, he gathered himself as best he could and rang to let Garak know he had a visitor.

The door slid open almost immediately, like Garak had been standing there, waiting. Surely he hadn’t known that Julian was standing out there for who knew how long. Though Julian wouldn’t put it past him to know either. It was hard to tell with Garak what was actual knowledge and what was just happy coincidence he used to his own ends. All of it was just suspicious and just casual enough to be either.

“Doctor, what a pleasure to see you,” Garak said, smiling as he stepped out of the doorway. “Please do come in.”

Julian stepped inside, plastering on what he hoped was his normal friendly smile. Garak would be able to tell immediately it wasn’t, but it made Julian feel better to pretend this was just a normal friendly interaction. They’d had plenty of those and he hadn’t even made a fool of himself much after the first few.

“To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” Garak asked as they settled on chairs in the small seating area of his quarters. He raised a hand, smile widening. “Not that I mind, of course. I’m always happy to spend time with you, my dear doctor.”

“Well.” Julian stopped and swallowed, throat feeling suddenly dry. Garak raised an eyebrow ridge at him and he shook his head, smiling a little self deprecatingly. “I’m sure you’ve heard about Starfleet’s agreement with Bajor concerning… non Federation citizens on the station.”

“Oh yes, I did hear of that announcement,” Garak replied evenly.

There was no outward indication of what he thought about that, since there was no way he hadn’t realized how it applied to him. Or singled him out, even, if Julian were to be frank.

“And you realize that it applies to you?” Julian asked, eyebrows raised. “That they want you off of Deep Space Nine?”

Garak nodded. “Mm, yes, I had assumed that was the case.”

Julian let out a sigh, though he couldn’t help the fond smile that pulled at the corner of his mouth. Speaking with Garak was always like this, a mix of exhilaration and frustration. He’d been hoping that the Cardassian would be a little less blithe about it, but deep down he’d known that was highly unlikely. Garak was Garak, and Julian knew that very well.

“I assume you’d rather not leave the station and be forced to go back to Cardassia,” Julian said. “Which means you need a way to become a Federation citizen on short notice.”

“Indeed, I’d rather that not happen,” Garak agreed, smiling blithely. “However, I wasn’t aware there was any other option open to me. How do you suggest I become a Federation citizen before that _does_ become my only choice?”

“Marry me.”

Julian hadn’t thought he’d ever be able to surprise Garak, but it seemed he finally had. It would have been a sweeter victory in any other situation, he thought, but there was still something very satisfactory about seeing Garak’s mouth drop open just a little, at a loss for words.

“My dear doctor,” Garak finally said, voice a little faint, “I wasn’t aware we were quite at that point in our relationship.”

Julian grinned crookedly. “We aren’t, but it’s the only way you can become a Federation citizen on short notice,” he said. “Unless you know another Starfleet officer here who would be willing to marry you.”

“I wasn’t aware until just now that there was any Starfleet officer anywhere willing to marry me,” Garak said, and there was something about his voice that sounded strange. Julian couldn’t quite place it, as familiar as he was with the Cardassian. “We’re friends, yes, but why _are_ you willing to do this for me, doctor?”

That was the question Julian had really hoped to avoid. All things considered, he shouldn’t be willing to marry Garak just to keep him on Deep Space Nine. But he hadn’t given it a second thought when Sisko had suggested it in not so many words. That, along with the fact that Sisko was supportive of the decision, said more about Julian and Garak’s relationship than anything. Certainly more than he was able to put into words right now.

“What are friends for but to help each other?” Julian asked lamely, aware that he’d taken much too long to answer.

Garak was looking at him with that look that said he knew something about Julian that Julian was probably not aware of himself yet. He probably was. Julian had never been the most self reflective person, though he was aware enough to know that in this situation he was being purposefully dense even toward his own thoughts.

It was just that the realization he was afraid he had was a bit much at the moment. Neither he nor Garak couldn’t afford for him to have a crisis, at least before the wedding.

Which would probably have to happen very shortly. Sisko, he hoped, already had all of the paperwork for Starfleet ready in his office, so it was really just getting the two of them there. The sooner the better.

Garak hummed and stood, heading for his bedroom. “I assume that since you came here and there’s so little time that preparations have been made already?” he asked over his shoulder.

“Uh, yes, it should all be ready,” Julian replied, hoping he was correct. “So we can…” He took a deep breath, glad Garak wasn’t in the room to see how flushed his face was. “We can go get married now, if you’d like.”

“Yes, I think that would be for the best.”

Julian looked over to see Garak emerging back into the living area. He was dressed in the suit he’d worn for the holosuite spy program they’d done together. Julian thought he’d looked good then, but now, under such different circumstances, he looked even better.

“Are you planning to wear that?” Garak asked, looking Julian over as he came to a stop next to the chair where he was still sitting. It was obvious from the tone of his voice that it was less of a question and more of a nudge to go change himself.

“Of course not,” Julian replied. Truthfully, he’d not given their clothes a single thought. Not that he gave his clothes much of a thought generally; that was Garak’s area of expertise. “I’ll go get changed and meet you at Sisko’s office?”

Garak smiled and Julian felt something in his stomach flutter not unpleasantly. “I’ll see you there, doctor.”


	2. Chapter 2

Julian was panicking. He’d gone to his quarters, mind feeling strangely blank, like his head was full of cotton. Or just too full of thoughts for anything to register properly, which was probably more apt.

But as soon as he’d put on his own spy program suit and looked at himself in the mirror, it was like every single one of those thoughts came to the forefront and began screaming all at once. It was really very overwhelming, which was why he’d been standing there, staring at himself in the mirror, for the past ten minutes.

It was finally hitting him, apparently, that he was about to marry Garak. Garak, his friend, perhaps the closest one he had. Garak, who he’d always had a far from friendly fascination with, even before they met. Garak, who he’d always quietly thought was incredibly attractive, especially after they met. Garak, who was about to be his husband.

No wonder he was panicking.

Finally, Julian managed to shake himself out of his spiralling thoughts. He knew Garak was probably waiting for him at Sisko’s office and he couldn’t make Garak — or Sisko, for that matter — wait for him indefinitely. This had been his idea, technically, and he was going to see it through. He could figure out his feelings later, hopefully. Or just ignore them completely.

He used the walk to Sisko’s office to try to get himself controlled, pushing down the panic that still curled uncomfortably in his belly in favor of concentrating on how happy he was to be able to help Garak stay on Deep Space Nine. That was why he was doing this, no matter his feelings. For Garak.

His suit got a couple of second glances from people he passed in the corridors. Most of them probably assumed it was for a holosuite program, which was what it originally had been, so they wouldn’t be far off. None of them would guess that he was on his way to get married.

They’d probably know soon enough, though. The gossip mill on the station was vicious and quick, and rarely was there something as juicy to discuss as a spontaneous wedding between a Starfleet officer and a Cardassian.

Garak was waiting outside of Sisko’s office when Julian finally got there. He seemed casual and completely oblivious to the distrustful looks he was getting from everyone working nearby, especially Kira, but Julian knew better. Garak had the best situational awareness of anyone he knew.

“Ah, doctor, there you are,” Garak said, smiling as Julian approached. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d had second thoughts.”

“Of course not!” Julian replied. There was a smidge of guilt for making Garak wait so long by himself, but he hoped the Cardassian knew that Julian would never just abandon him. Especially in a situation like this. “It just… took me longer to get ready than I thought.”

“Ah,” Garak said in that tone of voice that said he didn’t believe Julian in the slightest but was humoring him.

Julian sighed, then offered a somewhat crooked grin as he gestured at the door to Sisko’s office. “Shall we?”

Garak nodded and they stepped up to the door, entering together as soon as it slid open. Julian was aware of the eyes of his fellow officers following them, probably wondering what in the world the two of them were doing in Sisko’s office, especially so dressed up. A few of them might have some idea since Julian had run to Sisko as soon as the anti Cardassian memo went out.

He was honestly surprised Jadzia hadn’t asked him about it yet since she was practically the queen of gossip on Deep Space Nine. He’d have to remember to brace himself when they left Sisko’s office, though it was probably good to be prepared in general. There was no way there wouldn’t be at least some very pointed questions from people.

He was dreading telling O’Brien already.

“Gentlemen,” Sisko said, already standing from his desk as they came in. He eyed their suits, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Am I to take it that you’ve found an agreeable solution to the problem you brought up earlier?”

“Yes, captain, I believe we have.” Julian glanced over at Garak, who smiled blandly back. He took a deep breath. “We would like to get married.”

Sisko nodded, smiling more fully now. “Congratulations on your engagement, then,” he said. “I’m prepared to perform a wedding here and now, as is in my power as a Starfleet captain, unless you’d like to wait or move to a different location.”

“No, no, here and now is perfectly fine with us,” Julian replied, barely glancing at Garak. The idea of waiting made a wave of nervousness bubble up in his gut. That would just give him more time to overthink this, plus put them far too close to the deadline for his comfort.

“Mr. Garak, you agree?” Sisko asked.

“Oh yes, that sounds quite alright with me,” Garak replied easily, shrugging a little like it was nothing. “No better time or place, I’m sure.”

“Well then, let’s get on with it, shall we?” Sisko said, picking up a padd from his desk and holding it out to them. “First, the paperwork if you will, gentlemen.”

Julian and Garak took seats in front of Sisko’s desk to fill out the forms the Federation required for marriage. Garak seemed content to let Julian do the bulk of it, merely pointing out things every once in a while or murmuring answers to questions that Julian didn’t know. He already felt like he was learning a lot about his soon to be husband just from that.

Once the forms were filled out — more than would usually be required, Julian suspected, since Cardassia was not a Federation planet — and Sisko gave them a quick once over, they stood again and stepped over to the slightly more open side of the office.

It was still very obvious they were getting married in the captain’s office and not somewhere more suited for a wedding, but it was enough of an illusion. And it gave a better backdrop for the holorecorder Sisko insisted on setting up. He said they’d want it for later, though Julian couldn’t really fathom why since this wasn’t a real wedding as such. But he trusted Sisko, and surprisingly Garak didn’t say anything either way.

“Let’s begin,” Sisko said, looking down at the padd in his hand which presumably held the typical Terran wedding script. “Repeat after me.”

Julian bit back on a fresh wave of nerves and nodded, seeing Garak nod as well from the corner of his eye. They both repeated Sisko’s words when directed, though Julian felt a bit like his head was full of static, drowning out all thoughts, and he wouldn’t have been able to tell what words he was saying even if ordered to. All of his focus was on not embarrassing himself by passing out, or worse, giving in to the panic that had never quite left and making a run for it.

And then Julian blinked, and suddenly they were finished. Or at least he assumed they were because Sisko had stopped talking and was looking between the two of them with a strange, considering glint in his eyes.

“Congratulations, Julian and Garak, you’re married,” Sisko said. He smiled, looking oddly like he might start laughing at any moment. “You may now kiss.”

Julian’s mouth fell open of its own accord, his cheeks immediately flushing. “Oh, that’s not- I mean we-”

“It is tradition, is it not, doctor?” Garak interrupted. Julian jerked his head around to find Garak smiling, eyebrow ridges raised expectantly. “We wouldn’t want to go against tradition.”

“I… I suppose not,” Julian replied weakly, wondering what in the world was happening. He didn’t have long to wonder as Garak raised a hand to his cheek, pulling him in until their lips met in a kiss.

It was a shock to feel Garak’s lips against his, a feeling he’d purposefully avoided thinking about for the entirety of their acquaintanceship. Now, of course, it was all he could think about. All the panic had gone out of his mind in an instant, leaving only the mixed shock and excitement of actually kissing Garak.

Which, as he thought he might have always subconsciously known, was very nice. Very, very nice. Like something he could do forever if given the chance. And he very much hoped that despite the awkward conversation that would probably need to be had very soon — considering they’d just gotten married and he hadn’t even known kissing was on the table — that they’d have that chance.

Vaguely, Julian heard a cough and he realized with a jolt that he and Garak were not alone. Sisko, his _captain_ , was still standing just a few steps away.

Julian pulled away from the kiss, cheeks burning even hotter than before. “Sorry, sir,” he mumbled through kiss swollen lips. He turned toward Sisko, but couldn’t quite bring himself to meet the captain’s eyes yet.

“No apologies necessary, Mr. Bashir,” Sisko replied, voice only a little strangled sounding. “I just thought the two of you might like to move to your new quarters. You’ve got the next two days off duty for your honeymoon.”

“New quarters?” Julian blurted out, forgetting his embarrassment enough to jerk his head up to look at Sisko in confusion. The captain, thankfully, merely seemed amused. “Honeymoon?”

“I do believe a honeymoon is also traditional on Earth, is it not?” Garak asked. His face was completely blank when Julian glanced over at him, but he knew better than to think Garak was as innocent as he was trying to look and sound.

“Yes, it is. And as there’s nothing currently preventing such a leave, I’ve taken the liberty of approving it,” Sisko replied. “I’m afraid there’s not much time for the two of you to leave the station, but I’m sure something can be arranged if you wish to.”

Garak shook his head, letting a smile slip through. “Oh no, I’m sure that’s not necessary.”

“And…” Julian cleared his throat. “And the new quarters?”

“Since both of you are in single quarters, I’ve reserved some larger ones that should be better for the two of you,” Sisko said warmly, holding out his padd so that Julian could see a map of the habitat ring with one of the larger quarters highlighted. “Feel free to move into that at any time. I thought you might want to take care of that before your honeymoon officially begins at any rate.”

“Oh, yes, of course, that sounds… perfect,” Julian managed to get out, feeling overwhelmed and out of sorts, like he had somehow accidentally crossed over into some sort of alternate universe in the past few minutes.

Sisko smiled, moving back behind his desk in a gesture of obvious dismissal. “Wonderful,” he said. “Well, I’ll leave you two to it.”

Julian nodded automatically. “Of course. And thank you, sir, for everything.”

“Yes, captain, you have my thanks as well,” Garak said, sounding much more genuine than he usually did with any sort of authority. “We’ll see you in a few days, I’m sure.”

Garak reached for Julian’s hand, startling him a little. He made to let go as they headed out of the office, but Julian held on. It was likely to start the rumor mill going in earnest when everyone outside saw. They’d know in the next couple of days anyway, though, and he was starting to think he didn’t care too much what they thought about it.

The whispers, just as he’d expected, started almost as soon as they stepped through Sisko’s office door. Julian put on his blandest smile, the one he’d been working on for diplomatic missions. It certainly wasn’t as good as Garak’s, but it would do to get them to their quarters.

He almost stumbled at that thought. _Their_ quarters. They’d be moving in together. Because they were married. Because they were a couple, sort of. There was still some talking that needed to be done regarding that, but Julian had to admit that he was feeling hopeful considering the fact that Garak’s warm hand was still intertwined with his.

“I believe this is the one,” Julian said, breaking the silence between them as they stopped in front of a door on the corridor where most of the Starfleet families had quarters. He put a hand up and the door slid open.

They stepped inside, hands finally detangling as they looked around. It was sparse since nothing of theirs had been moved in yet, but there was plenty of space in the front living area. And then of course the one bedroom off to the side.

The sight of that closed door reminded Julian that they really did need to have that talk sooner rather than later. They could wait until he was back on duty after the honeymoon, or even wait forever with how stubborn they could both be, but he didn’t want that. The kiss in Sisko’s office had been amazing, and he very much wanted to do more of that if Garak was amicable.

“So,” Julian said, turning to face Garak. “We’re married.”

“Very observant,” Garak replied, smirking. After a moment, he took a step closer, face softening just a little. “I do appreciate you helping me to stay here. The station, in many ways, has become more of a home to me than any other.”

The words were said lightly, but Julian could feel that there was a sincerity to them that Garak rarely let anyone else see. He felt proud to be the one Garak could let his walls down with, if only just a little. He decided it was only right that he let his own down as well.

“I would have done anything to help you stay,” he said, wondering if the words sounded as loud to Garak as they did in his own ears. He took a deep breath through a new wave of nerves. “Getting to marry you was just a bonus.”

They regarded each other for a long moment, and Julian fought to let himself remain as open and vulnerable as possible under his husband’s gaze. It was the least he owed to Garak, who had agreed to this marriage when he probably could have done something else, or at least could have easily gone somewhere else. Somewhere safer.

“It’s a bonus for me too, my dear doctor,” Garak finally said.

Julian let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding and smiled, letting relief and happiness bubble up in place of the panic and nerves that had so overtaken him earlier. He reached out a hand, smiling even more widely when Garak took it without hesitation.

It felt right, which he certainly hadn’t expected when he’d first gone to Sisko’s office what felt like weeks ago but which had only been hours. Julian looked down at their tangled fingers, soft human skin against rougher Cardassian.

“Do you think we can get rings before the honeymoon is over?” he asked, looking up at his husband with a grin. “It is traditional.”

Garak let out a delighted laugh, and it was music to Julian’s ears.


End file.
